Next have announced today that they intend to close their Northbrook Street store with effect from tomorrow (30th August). Customers are being advised that their nearest store is on the Retail Park at Pinchington Lane.
The Northbrook street store has not been their main Newbury branch for some time now and has been used mainly for their clearance items. Originally under the "Lime" logo, they changed to Next Clearance several months back.
Even saying that people prefer to shop outside Newbury because it is easier and in some cases free.
Easier? If I lived in Ilsley it might be easier to shop in Didcot, or Basingstoke if I lived in Kingsclere. But I live within a couple of miles of Newbury town centre. For me there is no easier place to shop than Newbury.
Free? As I have pointed out elsewhere it is not difficult to park for free in Newbury if you are prepared to walk a short way. Even easier on Saturday, the most popular shopping day.
Easier? If I lived in Ilsley it might be easier to shop in Didcot, or Basingstoke if I lived in Kingsclere. But I live within a couple of miles of Newbury town centre. For me there is no easier place to shop than Newbury.
Free? As I have pointed out elsewhere it is not difficult to park for free in Newbury if you are prepared to walk a short way. Even easier on Saturday, the most popular shopping day.
You and I might be prepared to walk into Newbury.... or leave the car a certain distance away; but sadly most people won't. Even parking at Sainsbury's seems to be too much for some. Most people I know prefer either going to the Retail Park or somewhere like Basingstoke.
At one time Saturday's in Newbury used to be packed.... not anymore.
I wonder if Next's move is an early sign of the Parkway effect. Why sign a new lease for a small shop in Northbrook Street when larger premises will be available in Parkway in a year or so.
The reason for the next clearence store closing is that next, during the past 6-8 months, bought in less stock from it's wholesalers meaning that at the end of the season they had less to pass on to the clearence stores, plus the fact that the newbury clearence store wasn't making a decent amount of money.
It depends what you called packed. I don't call that packed compared to what it used to be.
Then we must agree to differ then. Certainly the pubs I frequented were packed so were the restaurants I walked past and the Market Place was full of people.
Yes, but were they as 'packed' as they were a few years ago? I am not disputing that you saw them as packed, but I am just wondering how packed they were compared to, say the 90's. I went into the Queens to see my daughter and it was 'packed' but not as 'packed' as I have seen it in the past.
The other thing is - and you can tell me if I am wrong - but weren't shops and stalls complaining that business has dropped?
Easier? If I lived in Ilsley it might be easier to shop in Didcot, or Basingstoke if I lived in Kingsclere. But I live within a couple of miles of Newbury town centre. For me there is no easier place to shop than Newbury.
See, that's the point I've made from time to time. It's not the Newbury residents, but the people who have a choice who are abandoning Newbury, and there are a lot of them.
Then we must agree to differ then. Certainly the pubs I frequented were packed so were the restaurants I walked past and the Market Place was full of people.
So, we equate the number of p*ss artists frequenting the Newbury watering holes to the prosperity of the retail sector.
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